Cherry Hill RV Resort, College Park, MD:  Drove to old town Alexandria this morning and were just in time to catch the boat up the Potomac to see George Washington’s Mount Vernon.  The boat made two stops—one at the Gaylord Resort and also at the National Harbor which were both on the Maryland side of the river.  Took about an hour and a half to get there.  Mount Vernon is really beautiful.  It was a huge (8000 acres) working farm and they were pretty self-sufficient. Had to be back then as it was out in the middle of nowhere.  The Kennedy’s had a state dinner here—the only one to be held outside of Washington.  After touring the mansion and grounds we had lunch at the Mount Vernon Inn.  Then took the shuttle down to the 16-sided barn which Washington devised as a more efficient way to separate the wheat from the chaff.  They would spread the wheat on the barn floor and would trot horses around and around in this circular structure which would loosen the chaff and it would fall through the cracks in the floor to the level below and then they’d scoop it up in baskets.  Pretty ingenious I'd say.  Back to the boat and we left at 4:00 to head back to Alexandria.  Got back there at 5:30 and then walked around old town for a while in the hopes that rush hour traffic would abate some before we headed back.  Well, so much for that idea.  Traffic was terrible. Before we could go back home we had to stop and get fuel and then hit the grocery store.  We are both beat.  Going to take a shower and crash.  Poor Mike had to go back out and get a prescription filled.

Old Town Alexandria, VA

Mount Vernon Mansion

Green House, Martha's Garden and the Slave Quarters

The mansion is made of wood to look like masonry.  They beveled the edges and then covered  the surface with sand.  Looks just like masonry.  Washington called this procedure "rustication."

The 16-sided barn where they ran horses around and around in a trot which separated the wheat from the chaff.

One of the horses they used.  He's so cute.